In this video we discuss why we have reached our conclusion as well as explaining some natural history about this species. There is no proof. Mountain lions in NJ? The report stated that a woman spotted a mountain lion in Greenbelt Park, WUSA9 confirmed Tuesday. I thought I was nuts for thinking it was a mountain lion, but now not so much. "They never left," Mr. Lutz argues. If you forget it, you'll be able to recover it using your email address. Delivered right as the newspaper goes to print on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Sighting of this animal also occurred in Michigan and New York. Cougars must be identified by having been captured, found dead, or the investigators must have seen definite tracks or other evidence. ", "Oh," said the officer, "then it isn't a mountain lion. For the smooth consistently colored short hair l came up with a greyish tint to a deers summer color. "It's a mountain lion," the officer said. Information gathered from AZFGD and the Arizona Mountain Lion Foundation, Hunters who dont want to miss getting their spring 2023 tag should take the time now to update their credit card information with the Arizona. The Missouri Dept of Conservation release information regarding a vehicle striking a mountain lion (cougar) not far from Six Flags. "I'm really positive.". Just like New Jersey doesn't have any rattlesnakes. Though the government states the species is extinct, hundreds of sightings are still reported on a daily basis, particularly after the 2011 sighting of an Eastern mountain lion in Greenwich, Conn. Cougars (Puma concolor) are a large cat that goes by many names: panther, catamount, puma, and mountain lion, just to name a few of their over forty common English names.They were once a common predator in Pennsylvania until a combination of range-wide habitat loss, prey loss (mainly white-tailed deer and elk), and predator eradication programs in the 1800s drove them to extinction in the . l then got to thinking about a description, the color is rather unique. Youd think that with the distinctive white head and tail of adult eagles no one could foul up on it, but Therres says, We receive reports of bald eagles that turn out to be ospreys, hawks, black-backed gulls and even pigeons.. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. There was no question as to what it was, with its coloring and long tail. Also, Bobcats are spreading into areas in which they have not been seen before. Mistaken reports of mountain lions in Massachusetts are most commonly Bobcats. This map shows the various zones where mountain lions are hunted statewide, as determined by the Arizona Fish and Game Department. elk calf with characteristics of a mountain lion kill. Yet this young male traveled about 1,800 miles. Admission is $6 for ages 16 and over, $2 for kids 6 to 15 years old, and free for . More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23, Laura Newberry | laura.newberry@masslive.com, Are there Mountain Lions in Massachusetts? A resident called police about 8:30 p.m. to report what they believed was a mountain lion seen by multiple people along the Gedern Trail, which runs through the Gedern Estates subdivision and connects to the GM&O Heritage Trail along the former railroad right-of-way in Columbia. Mountain lion sighting reported in Worcester County. I was driving on a dark and stormy night about 9 years ago on Rt-515 just off of Rt-23. 75-170 pounds. MassWildlife uses evidence-based criteria for confirming reports of mountain lions. In certain situations, the similarities in the silhouette are remarkable. Further, it is already illegal to kill a mountain lion in Massachusetts. It was ENORMOUS! I slowed down and when slowed down it took off really fast into the woods. All rights reserved (About Us). Mountain Lions are the largest predators currently in Rocky Mountain National Park. There are always rumors about what state fish and wildlife agencies in the eastern United States know about mountain lions. Photo of a mountain lion taken by a game camera and a kill site of an 80 lb. Huge tracks. The network doesnt believe phone callers, such as the ones the Maryland DNR hears of a large cat the size of a German shepherd or larger dog walking down the trail.Youve got to do better than that, says the Cougar Networks professional big-cat specialists. For the last few days, my email account has been continuously pinging from people sharing information about their sightings. ". MassWildlife receives dozens of reportsa year, most are simplyreportsor sightings with no evidence. "These animals have usually been misidentified because they were seen under poor conditions or by someone not familiar with the species," the post goes on to say. We won't share it with anyone else. It was about 4 feet tall and just walked slowly crossing the highway. If you would like to continue helping us improve Mass.gov, join our user panel to test new features for the site. Tracking experts Paul Rezendes, Charles Worsham, George Leoniak, and Dr. Mark Elbroch examined the photos. For an overview you may wish to view A Timeline of Bounty and Sport Hunting of Mountain Lions in the United States or our poster Where Do We Go From Here? On a side note, I've been out near West Virginia and the western parts of both Maryland and Virginia enough to know that it is a commonly held belief that mountain lions still exist 'round those parts. Columbia police were notified of a possible mountain lion sighting in the city Thursday night, May 5. The screaming stopped and a few minutes later I spotted it in my backyard. I was told to call animal control. Mountain lions also were reportedly sighted in Cape St. Claire in 1969, Kingsville in 1971 and several areas of Prince George's County in 1988. From EW:Lions in NJmy son and myself were on a hunt in a ground blind on a friend's farm in Liberty Corner, NJ Somerset CoFebruary 19, 1996.roughly around 4:00 pm in the afternoon I thought a deer had entered the pine forest we were adjacent to.we were actually hunting bushy tails with flintlock smoothbores as deer season was closed. One neighbor described the creature as larger and wider than a deer, with the long tail of a cat. Well, that latest story has exploded, going viral and being shared all across the state. Follow @WJZ on Twitter and like WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore on Facebook, First published on July 31, 2018 / 4:17 PM. Eastern Arizona Courier 301 E Highway 70, Suite A, Safford, AZ 85546 | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | The EASTERN ARIZONA COURIER is owned by Wick Communications. The report stated that a woman spotted a mountain lion in Greenbelt. What drew me to it was the seeming paws. Copyright 1998- For a solid four seconds, Marchibroda watched as a large, sleek cat standing about three feet tall with a long, curled tail crossed Skyline Drive near Gavel Springs Gap less than 100 feet in front of them. The mountain lion was lying down in the snow. I know it is not technically in maryland but I highly doubt this cat knows where the state line is located and stays on the Pa. side all the time. In the interest of gathering credible mountain lion sightings when mountain lions actually arrive in the east the research team here at eMammal has put together a guide to identifying mountain lions. Luckily it looked healthy and well-fed. Today, their range stretches from the Yukon Territory in Canada along the western coast of the United States, all the way to the Southern Andes in Chile. I had people bash us for telling our story - but we've never wavered. He tells the story of a friend who managed to snap a picture of a cougar prowling in his backyard in Phoenix. "They were nearly exterminated by the early 1900s, but they retreated into the wild.". / CBS Baltimore. "It was a cougar," insists the 57-year-old Catonsville woman. Both off of Carrs Mill Rd before the cement bridge (for those of you that may be familiar) Then he realized from the length of its tail and the shape of its body that it was a mountain lion. In this video we discuss why we have reached our conclusion as well as explaining some natural history about this species.For more information please check out our in depth write up on the subject http://www.susquehannockwildlife.org/2018/06/10/fallstoncougar/#cougar #mountainlion #housecat #harfordcounty #maryland In. From MK:I just read your article about mountain lions in NJ. The USDA's Forest Service Wildlife Genetics Laboratory found that the animal came from South Dakota. From ER:Many years ago - back in late 2012 I was preparing a yard sale with my youngest daughter (she was 12 at the time) on our driveway in Ringwood, NJ. August, a woman reported seeing a mountain lion on her drive between Millville and Avalon. Around 3 p.m., a. -Anyone bitten by a mountain lion must immediately seek medical attention for rabies shots unless the biting animal can be captured and tested for rabies. number of folks to write about their encounters. Please limit your input to 500 characters. After reading your article I'm not so sure, maybe she really did see them. In April 1997, experienced tracker John McCarter found scat near a beaver carcass at the Quabbin Reservation. Bobcats are found in the mountains of western Maryland, even in some counties along the Chesapeake Bay and one sighting came from the Eastern Shore. It was a rumor that State Fish and game stocked mountain lions to take care of it, to this day they deny it but I dont doubt they did. Video sent in to KITV4 from a local hotel in the Captain Cook area showed the reported sighting . I was going to attempt to somehow categorize these sightings, but I find that task overwhelming. However, one must assume that it actually could happen. In Maryland, what inquiring minds want to know is whether big cats are prowling suburbia. At the time I think my daughter was about five. See Alex Hunter's Sigma Delta Chi award-winning editorial cartoons. A debate ensued over whether the animal was a rare and incredible sighting of a cougar (either an extinct eastern cougar or western cougar that traveled a great distance outside of their known range) or just a large domestic house cat that appeared larger than it was due to the weather conditions and perspective. Then it continued crossing the road and into the woods. I could not believe my eyes! Yes, they have been here for years. Other people say they have seen these beautiful cats and have also caught them, in the past, on camera in the woods. I was on my deck at around 10 in the morning. Thina Vanosnabrugge, a 41-year-old Hunt Valley woman, thinks they are. I had to slam on the brakes so as not to hit it. Last year he recorded 11 cougar sightings in Maryland, 38 in Pennsylvania and six in Virginia. "As always, if you leave wildlife alone and respect it, the wildlife will reciprocate," she wrote. When the deer in those days were shot into near oblivion by market hunters, the cougar apparently looked for greener pastures elsewhere. Hunters must also possess a valid hunting license, which is $37 for residents. Pitch-black out and all I could hear was a long slow deep growling that sounded like nothing Id ever heard except once before 3 years ago. a graphic depiction of America's mountain lion history. The young adult male was killed by an SUV on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford, Connecticut on June 11, 2011. There are hundreds more throughout the East Coast, he and other naturalists believe. There were five yearling animals, four 2-year-old animals, two 3-year-olds and five 4-year-olds. From EG:About 10 years ago I used to frequent west Milford NJ. In May 2018, a mountain lion attacked two mountain bikers 30 miles east of Seattle, Washington, killing one, but it's only the 15th fatal attack in North America since 1970. l decided to keep it quiet to avoid a frenzy of seekers, especially since there is a lot of private property further back, the Haines and Coons cranberry families. She shared the pictures with Animal Control Officer Michelle Lefleche, who posted two on Facebook. It had a small animal hanging from its mouth. ", With its long tail and sleek, cat-like body, the animal was unquestionably a mountain lion, Mrs. Vanosnabrugge says. According to Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD), a person may use dogs to pursue, but not kill or capture a mountain lion in a unique pursuit-only season that coincides with the open season. I have seen a lion twice in Sussex County. There are occasional reports of people who think they saw one, maybe they even took a blurry picture, but those are most likely bobcats. On the subject of large wild cats, you should know that Maryland and neighboring states like West Virginia, Virginia, or Pennsylvania, are definitely home to thriving populations of bobcats. If youre still curious, read on to brush up on your mountain lion knowledge. MONTEREY There are no photos. Search for cougars continues in Pennsylvania. Well, as luck would have it, my co worker took this very nice pic of a mature female mountain lion last week just south of Uniontown Pa. There has only been 1 confirmed mountain lion sighting on the coastal side of I5 since around the 1970's or 80's, that info can be confirmed with any local park ranger.